Mandeep R. Mehra, MD (Chair), Charles E. Canter, MD, Margaret M. Hannan, MD, Marc J. Semigran, MD, Patricia A. Uber, PharmD, David A. Baran, MD, Lara Danziger-Isakov, MD, MPH, James K. Kirklin, MD, Richard Kirk, MD, Sudhir S. Kushwaha, MD, Lars H. Lund, MD, PhD, Luciano Potena, MD, PhD, Heather J. Ross, MD, David O. Taylor, MD, Erik A.M. Verschuuren, MD, PhD, Andreas Zuckermann, MD and on behalf of the International Society for Heart Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) Infectious Diseases, Pediatric and Heart Failure and Transplantation Councils

https://www.jhltonline.org/pb/assets/raw/Health%20Advance/journals/healun/ISHLT_GUIDELINE.pdf

The 2016 International Society for Heart Lung Transplantation listing criteria for heart transplantation: A 10-year update

Advances in molecular genetics present new opportunities and challenges for cardiologists who manage patients and families with cardiomyopathies. The aims of this position statement of the European Society of Cardiology Working Group on Myocardial and Pericardial Diseases are to review the general issues related to genetic counselling, family screening and genetic testing in families with a cardiomyopathy, and to provide key messages and suggestions for clinicians involved in their management.

Genetic counselling and testing in cardiomyopathies: a position statement of the European Society of Cardiology Working Group on Myocardial and Pericardial Diseases

https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/206521/1/1-s2.0-S0735109717302024-main.pdf

International recommendations for electrocardiographic interpretation in athletes

The original 1994 International Task Force criteria for the clinical diagnosis of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy/dysplasia (ARVC / D) were based on structural,histological,ECG,arrhythmic,and familial features of the disease (Table 1)Abnormalities were subdivided into major and minor categories according to the specificity of their association with ARVC / DRight precordial T-wave inversion,though well recognized in ARVC / D,was considered a minor criterion because of its presence in other conditions,including anterior ischemia and right ventricular (RV) hypertrophyArrhythmias of RV origin,another cardinal feature of ARVC / D,was designated a minor criterion because of its occurrence in other diseases,particularly idiopathic RV outflow tract tachycardia

Diagnosis of Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy/Dysplasia： Proposed Modification of the Task Force Criteria

Compound and Digenic Heterozygosity Contributes to Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is an infrequently diagnosed condition with a high incidence of sudden cardiac death. While the only option for cure is orthotopic cardiac transplantation, the use of an implantable cardiac defibrillator can be life saving. Accordingly, the prompt recognition of ARVC is crucial. Fortunately, a definitive diagnosis of ARVC can often be made by a combination of the clinical history and electrocardiogram alone, as illustrated by the present case. In our patient, who presented with multiple syncopal episodes and in whom ventricular tachycardia was observed shortly after her admission to the emergency department, a lengthy and expensive workup was initiated, which ultimately may have delayed implantation of an implantable cardiac defibrillator. Clinicians should be made aware of the clinical guidelines for dealing with this potentially dangerous condition so that appropriate therapy can be promptly initiated.

/pdf/diagnosis-of-arrhythmogenic-right-ventricular-cardiomyopathy-19msfzii20.pdf

Diagnosis of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy.

May-Thurner syndrome is a rarely diagnosed condition in which patients develop iliofemoral deep venous thrombosis (DVT) due to an anatomical variant in which the right common iliac artery overlies and compresses the left common iliac vein against the lumbar spine. This variant has been shown to be present in over 20% of the population; however, it is rarely considered in the differential diagnosis of DVT, particularly in patients with other risk factors. Systemic anticoagulation alone is insufficient treatment, and a more aggressive approach is necessary to prevent recurrent DVT. Herein, we present a patient with multiple risk factors for DVT. With a comprehensive diagnostic approach, she was found to have May-Thurner syndrome. Local infusion of thrombolytics as well as mechanical thrombectomy failed to resolve the thrombus. Subsequently the patient underwent successful stent placement in the area that was compressed followed by 6 months of chronic anticoagulation with warfarin. There has been no recurrence of DVT in the ensuing 18 months.

May-Thurner syndrome: a not so uncommon cause of a common condition.

Objective To determine the prolonged effect of Hurricane Katrina on the incidence and timing of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in the city of New Orleans. Patients and Methods Our study population consisted of 1476 patients with AMI before (August 29, 1999, to August 28, 2005) and after (February 14, 2006, to February 13, 2012) Hurricane Katrina at Tulane University Health Sciences Center to determine post-Katrina alterations in the occurrence and timing of AMI. Results Compared with pre-Katrina values, there was a more than 3-fold increase in the percentage of admissions for AMI during the 6 years after Hurricane Katrina ( P P P P P P P =.01), smoking ( P P P Conclusion These results indicate that the effect of natural disasters on the occurrence of AMI may persist for at least a 6-year period and may be related to various factors including population shifts, alterations in the health care system, and the effects of chronic stress and associated behaviors.

https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(14)00055-X/pdf

Natural Disasters and Myocardial Infarction: The Six Years After Hurricane Katrina

The onset of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has been shown to occur in a nonrandom pattern, with peaks in midmorning and on weekdays (especially Monday). The incidence of AMI has been shown to increase locally after natural disasters, but the effect of catastrophic events on AMI biorhythms is largely unknown. To assess the differences in the chronobiology of AMI in residents of New Orleans before and after Hurricane Katrina, the onset of AMI in patients at Tulane University Health Sciences Center in the 6 years before and the 3 years after Hurricane Katrina was retrospectively examined. Compared to the pre-Katrina group, the post-Katrina cohort demonstrated significant decreases in the onset of AMI during mornings (p = 0.002), Mondays (p

Effect of Hurricane Katrina on chronobiology at onset of acute myocardial infarction during the subsequent three years.

Abdominal paracentesis is a frequently employed diagnostic and therapeutic procedure for patients with refractory ascites, typically in patients with cirrhosis. It is generally regarded as a safe procedure with significant complications occurring in <1% of cases. Most hemorrhagic complications are due to abdominal wall trauma, during which clear evidence of active bleeding is usually visualized during the procedure. Delayed hemoperitoneum is a rare complication of large-volume paracentesis in which clinical evidence of active bleeding is typically absent until substantial blood loss has taken place (often several days to a week later), leading to an exceedingly high mortality rate. Herein we describe a case of delayed hemoperitoneum in a 55-year-old man with heart failure. This case emphasizes the importance of identifying patients who are at high risk for delayed hemoperitoneum as well as the need to closely monitor complete blood counts in the days following a large-volume paracentesis.

/pdf/diagnosis-and-management-of-delayed-hemoperitoneum-following-18jg6ryj8g.pdf

Morgan J. Katz

Papers

Diagnosis of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy.

May-Thurner syndrome: a not so uncommon cause of a common condition.

Natural Disasters and Myocardial Infarction: The Six Years After Hurricane Katrina

Effect of Hurricane Katrina on chronobiology at onset of acute myocardial infarction during the subsequent three years.

Diagnosis and management of delayed hemoperitoneum following therapeutic paracentesis